Entries in New Year's Resolutions
(6)

It happens every year. Commencing with trick-or-treaters in October and concluding in the new year, the approximately six-week holiday season stretch is simultaneously festive, celebratory, indulgent and stressful — a perfect cocktail for accelerated fat gain. Come January 1, after attending countless parties, work events and family gatherings, it’s still somehow a little surprising to find that a favorite pair of jeans have “shrunk” yet again.

Quick–what was your New Year’s resolution for last year? How about the year before? Can you remember? I don’t think I can either. How sad is that?

Resolutions traditionally center on self-improvement, which is admirable, but what happens between the grand intention and the (too often) failure—even forgetting? What can we learn from the cautionary tales of previous years?

Despite past foiled resolutions, the New Year’s spirit brings plenty of hopeful opportunity to make the upcoming months some of the best you’ve ever experienced. Just be sure to avoid the common pitfalls that stop your intentions in their tracks.

Consider this a primer for what NOT to do—a 5-point map, if you will, for killing that bright, shiny, promising resolution and its potential for shaping your year. Unfortunately, too many people’s resolutions will die such a death in the coming weeks. (Above all, resolve to not be one of them!) Let's take a look now....

While the emphasis might be on "resolve" right now, real change happens through the daily details. What shake-ups are you ready to welcome into your routine?

Newsflash—you will not see the results you want to see by being willy-nilly in your actions! Step one: COMMIT with a can-do attitude. Then start seeing how you can start living that change today—and each day.

Check out these 5 must-have strategies for getting real with your resolutions!

The new year is here - and with it the intentions to change or improve something in the months ahead. We resolve to take control. We resolve to step up. When you take apart the annual tradition itself, it implies we feel something is awry in a serious way. The problem is even formidable enough that it requires a collective cultural event to launch whatever “out with the old” actions we need to take. We want to capitalize on the energy surrounding the change in calendar - ride the coattails of societal enthusiasm. (Why not?) Unfortunately, the January fervor tends to fizzle all too soon (as anyone who’s observed gym attendance dwindle into February knows). By all means, every one of us should be inspired by the spirit of the New Year. Use it to your advantage. Psych yourself into a new vision with it. That said, there’s got to be more to the resolution story if we want to be successful in our aim a year from now. More is required for a successful outcome than temporary fervor. If we want our resolutions to be more than pipe dreams, we need to get clear and committed, and we need to revise the concept of resolution itself. Here’s how....